Fire Aftermath

Sorry it has been so long since I posted anything. The Monument Fire turned into a raging inferno that terrorized the local community and Fort Huachuca. The fire started on 12 June, but by 16 June was threatening the city of Hereford. People were ordered to evacuate and many of them had horses. A local organization, Care For The Horses, was organizing a "horse lift" out of the threatened area. I requested permission from the Army to assist with the evacuation using our trucks and trailers, and the request was quickly approved.

During the next several days we evacuated 33 animals including B Troop's horses. We set up a command post of sorts in our office and sent teams out to rescue horses. Because we had government plates, we were able to get into areas that were closed to the public. The roads headig away from the fire were jammed with horse trailers.

It was madness, of course, disaster areas always are. Most of the animals we picked up had either never been in a trailer before or hadn't been in one in a long time. Some animals couldn't be loaded so the owners just opened their gates and turned them loose. I received one request to evacuate two horses after dark belonging to a man who refused to evacuate and locked himself in his bathroom. His family wanted me to come get the horses in the hope that he'd come out of his bathroom. My concern was that he'd come out of his bathroom with a gun because I was stealing his horses. I consulted with the sheriff's office and then declined the request.

On 19 June, we had 60 mph winds and the fire got out of control. The fort was not yet in serious danger, but because the Army wanted our trailers to evacuate other horses on post, we were advised to evacuate all of ours first. I had no place to take them, so I took them home where I have about eight acres of horse pasture. It was a little crowded, but all the horses were safe. The fort was under quarantine due to the EHV-1 problem, but I was assured I would be able to get the horses back on post once he fire threat was over. I expected to have the horses for a few days, but the visit turned into ten days as the firefighters struggled with keeping the fire off the post and the mil vet decided to extend the quarantine for another week.

I had previously requested leave the week after the fire occurred, but since all the horses were at my property, the Army had no problem approving it even though the fire wasn't completely contained. About half way through my leave, I was able to send the horses back, and then I went "comm out" to get some rest. Since then, the summer rains finally arrived, and the fire is 98 percent contained. Fully rested now, I'm ready to head back into the fray.